Traitor to the Cause
by Keeper of Tomes
Summary: Once a traitor, always a traitor." The words bit. They stung his skin, like needles. Millions of tiny, razor sharp needles. He glared at the speaker with needless fury. And the speaker glared back...Drabbles, again. It has a plot, this time!
1. Turning

"Once a traitor, always a traitor."

The words bit.

They stung his skin, like needles. Millions of tiny, razor sharp needles.

He glared at the speaker with needless fury. And the speaker glared back.

"I come here to offer help..." He's seething, now, his fury bubbling up like magma. And it won't die down.

"We don't need it."

"How can you be so sure?"

"We don't. We don't trust you. Why should we?"

"Can you afford NOT to trust me?"

"Yes, we can." Golden eyes cut into him. "We can ignore you. We can live." She starts to leave.

"Fine, die. See if I care. But I have proof." He waits for her to turn.

She turns.

He pulls out the book. She looks from it, to him, then back again.

"What...?"

"Read it."


	2. How?

"I don't...I can't...I don't..."

She's in shock. Obvious shock.

"I didn't think...Oh my God, this is bad," she concludes.

He glances at her. His eyes automatically flip up towards the sky. "What in the world led you to that conclusion?"

"But...How COULD she?" She sets the journal down. "After all you've done for her."

He's silent.

She worries he hasn't heard her and starts to repeat the question, when...

"I guess...I never meant that much to her in the first place." And he turns away.


	3. Eternal

Of course, the others took a while to persuade.

He stood by, watching in the shadows, as she showed them the journal. And slowly, dawn broke behind their eyes.

"So...what do we do?" The sharpshooter looks at him warily.

He clears his throat, unsure as to what he's supposed to say. He thinks for a long time, before looking up.

"I guess we destroy it."

Eyebrows shot up.

"But she writes...that it's indestructible." The boy looks at him with blaring green eyes. "That it's eternal."

He chuckles wryly. Everyone stares at him, because they've never heard him laugh this quietly before.

He opens his mouth, then closes it. For a moment, he looks a like a fish, gaping. Finally, words spill out.

"If there's one thing I've learned, all these years, it's that nothing is eternal."

The kids look at him, puzzled.

They don't understand.


	4. Certainty

The plan was simple.

They go in.

They do some "macho" fighting.

They bust some heads.

They destroy the machine.

And they pray to GOD that Cyclonis isn't home.

The kid wanted to know if he was sure about this.

"If she sees you-" he'd said.

"I know what the consequences are. But she was going to turn me into...a THING." He glares at the cloudless sky. "I am NOT a thing. No one is."

The kid smiles dryly. "Of all people...I never thought you'd end up being an ally."

"Let's get a few things straight: One, I am NOT an ally. Two, after this, we part, we go our separate ways. Three--and this is the most important one--I still don't like you."

"So you say. So you say." And he turns to leave.

"I wouldn't be so sure about myself, if I were you," he growls.

The kid smirks. "Well, you're not me. So don't worry."

And then he leaves.


	5. Stranger

It felt strange, being back on this ship.

Once, long ago, he'd been able to call this place home.

The radio hummed a foreign melody in the distance. Lately, the only music he'd been hearing was Ravess, screeching away on her violin. Lately being...the past ten years. Give or take a day or two.

_"Head underwater, and they tell me, to breathe easy for a while..."_

Wasn't that what they all said?

"Relax. Things will be fine. You belong with us. We'll make you strong."

_"Made room for me, but it's too soon to see, if I'm happy in your hands..."_

Oh, they made room alright.

And making him strong?

He wasn't sure about that.

Had fighting the Storm Hawks made him a worse person? Or had it made him better?

The song ended on some half full chord. _Story of my life. Uncertain beginnings, uncertain ending. _

He stared at the sky, as it spun by, the ship chugging along.

He realized that...he was a stranger here. And that...he didn't mind.

OOO

A/N: Little obsession with "Love Song" lately. It'll pass, trust me.


	6. Dinner Time

He sucked up his pride and walked into the room.

They were all staring at him, eyebrows raised, hands on their hips.

"Well?"

He stares blankly at the speaker. "Well, what?"

"Do you...um...want dinner?"

He stares at the set up. Regular food. Soup, bread, what-not. His stomach does a small flip. He's hungry, and they know it.

He glances at the girl. She's eying him suspiciously. He frowns.

"We made extra." She speaks in a monotone.

"Fine then," he mumbles. He waits for the others to take their seats, before sitting down himself. He's unsure as to what he's supposed to do. It's been a while since he's eaten in front of...other people.

"Erm...pass the peas?" The Wallop tries to break the silence. The kid obliges him, handing over the small bowl.

He looks at his own empty plate. It's...an awkward situation. He clears his throat.

"I guess this is a bit weird for you, isn't it?"

He looks up and stares at the kid. Leaf green eyes look him over. He prays it's not sympathy he sees on that face.

"A little." He blinks a few times.

He grits his teeth, reaches out, and grabs the soup ladle. He spoons a minuscule amount into his bowl. The others start eating, their eyes purposely focused away from him. After a few hesitant seconds, he takes a small sip.

Man, that's good soup.


	7. Understand

The skies began to turn red. He stared out the window, eyes hunting for any sign of Talon patrols.

No one.

Maybe they hadn't noticed his sudden disappearance.

Everyone else is asleep, save the girl and the Merb. The Merb's driving.

She's standing nearby, reading the journal again.

"I still don't get it."

He jumps at the sound of her voice.

"Don't get what?" he asks, his voice strained and tired.

"Why you decided to help us."

"I have my reasons."


	8. Mysterious Functions

The ship snaked stealthily through the Wastelands. Dark Ace couldn't help but admire the Merb's piloting skills.

The sharpshooter was leaning against the wall, chewing on a wad of...who knows what.

The kid was standing next to the girl, and they were speaking in hushed tones, staring at the map laid out in front of them both.

She turned to face him.

"Do you know exactly how the machine works?"

He pauses. "Sort of. There's a place for you to put the subject. Subject goes in, rattle rattle, crystal pops out."

"And the crystal will be...?"

"Depends on the subject."

And he leers mysteriously.


	9. Condensed

"So you're saying...that the machine converts living objects into crystals?" Her eyebrows are arched suspiciously.

"Basically. She called it a Condenser." He grimaces.

"Oh." She stares at the book in her hand. Lately, she's been reading it. A lot. "It just said something about getting rid of you."

"Well, I suspect her plan was to make me into a...stone." He winces at his own words. "And then shoot herself with it."

"What good would THAT do?" The girl's eyebrows have reached her hairline.

"I guess she'd get all my talents. And I do have many talents." He smirks.

She rolls her eyes.


	10. Plans of Invasion

The ship sneaked up through one of the garbage chutes.

He had always wondered how these kids got in there.

They had formulated a procedure which they were to follow at all times, regardless of surroundings...

At least, that was what the girl had wracked into everyone's brains.

Simply told, he was going to distract Cyclonis. Everyone else got the harder job.

Disabling the machine.

OOO

A/N: Bit brain dead, at the moment. Next one will be better.


	11. Going for Assistance

They split up at the main hallway.

He gave them a brisk nod.

The palace was eerie. It was forbidding.

It was...a memory.

His mind swam back to the day before he left.

He'd been fixing his skimmer.

She had been standing next to him, helping out, magenta hair fluttering in the breeze.

Lately, they'd been talking. "Hanging out," so to speak.

He told her about the machine.

Golden eyes widened.

"What do we do?"

"WE don't do anything." He stood. "I'm going to go get help."

"From who?"

He was silent.

"Not...them," she breathed.

He shrugged. "Better than no one."

"You'll be back, though."

"Of course."


	12. An Act of Mutiny

"I don't believe you."

She had been standing in his doorway, hands on her slim waist.

He glanced at her. "Why not?"

"I've been thinking it over. Cyclonis...wouldn't do that. We're too valuable to her."

"Ha! If you honestly think that, than you're naive. Blind." He takes his headgear and chest plating off. "We are nothing to her."

His clothing hung loosely, without the armor to hold it up. He looked more human. The sun's final rays had bathed the room in gold.

"But isn't going to the Storm Hawks an act of mutiny? Betrayal?" She stepped into the room.

"I did it once. I can do it again." He had gritted his teeth. "It's not just for me. It's for everyone else she plans to put into that contraption."

"Me, for example?" Her eyes flashed.

He sighed. "Yes, you."

He managed a thin smile.

The memory swirled. It dripped. He wandered through the lonesome halls of Cyclonia. He remembered, slowly, what had happened next...


	13. Good Bye

She had inched forward, her face like stone. But he was never one for subtleties. He had reached out and grabbed her around the waist. Her body thumped into his. Their eyes met. Her mouth remained a hard, stiff line, but her golden irises had shimmered with inner laughter.

He kissed her, full on the mouth, before letting go completely.

He had nodded.

He had left.

He hadn't waited to see her reaction.

Not even good-bye.

OOO

A/N: It's my first try at a DA/R pairing. I'm failing, miserably. Yuck.


	14. Trapped

The throne room wasn't far ahead. The pleasantly unpleasant memory evaporated in a puff of regret.

He kept his hand tensed. Ready to reach up and grab his sword.

No Talons.

Strange...

He shoved against the door. It opened. He sprang in, ready to fight-

The room was empty. Not a soul.

A tumbleweed could've floated by without being out of place.

He furrowed his brow.

A cackle came from behind.

A trap.

This was a trap!

He wheeled around.

A slim frame blocked the doorway.

"Dark Ace. Welcome home."


	15. Crystalized

"Master," he hissed.

Force of habit.

"Oh, I'm hardly your master anymore. Isn't that right, Dark Ace?" She sneered. "You're working for a higher authority, aren't you?"

"I work for no one but myself."

She laughs, a cruel, high pitched sound. And then she claps her hands. The doors click shut.

Some people have sound activated lights. Cyclonis installed sound activated locks.

Talk about paranoid.

She advanced, hands in her cloak, as if rummaging for something. She pulls out a crystal. Something new.

It's small, slim, neat. Magenta. Shaped like an arrowhead...

Oh, hell no.

"Pretty little thing, isn't it?" She tossed it from hand to hand. "Oops. I meant to say, 'she'." She laughs again, and this time, it cuts into him.

He charges forward, sword raised. "You bitch! You little bi-"

She pulls out another stone, and before he can react, he's blasted across the room.

The floor is cold.

But his heart is colder still.


	16. Pained

Cyclonis strode over, feet pattering against the metal floor.

"Look how far you've fallen." She knelt beside him, hand on his plate-less chest. Keeping him down. She held up the magenta crystal. He noticed, for the first time, the golden core which shimmered at the center of the stone. The color of her eyes.

"She didn't scream, you know. Went in like a true soldier. But...perhaps..." She ran her finger down the side of his cheek. He shuddered. "Perhaps I saw a tear."

"You bitch," he repeated.

She snarled and pulled out the other crystal.

He automatically flinched away.

She pressed it to his neck.

His world exploded in pain.


	17. Regret Nothing

Sparks flew across his vision.

He wasn't sure if it was imagined or not.

_Don't think about the pain. Don't think about the pain._

It would require all of his soldier's training, not to show weakness. Not to give in.

She twisted her hand.

The pain intensified.

He gave in, his spine arching upwards, fists clenching, neck muscles bulging.

"Say you regret leaving," she purred into his ear. "You were wrong, weren't you? You're nothing, nothing but a low life traitor." She grinned, like a shark.

"I...regret...nothing..." he grunted. "Nothing at all."

"Not even leaving her to DIE, alone?"

The magenta crystal flashed prettily.

So beautiful.

So distant.


	18. On Top

Cyclonis leaned over his face, her eyes boring into him.

He gulped.

But nothing went down.

His throat was drier than Saharr.

She was only a millimeter away from him, her breath pummeling his lips. He let a low growl escape him.

"Stop that, Dark Ace," she whispered, very softly. He smelled her breath; it smelled of vengeance.

The doors burst open with a boom.

Cyclonis looked up.

He took the opportunity to wham her in the jaw with his fist. He grabbed his sword and held it to her throat. The others ran in, blank expressions on their faces, the Wallop's fists glowing with green energy.

He stared into her violet eyes. "Who's on top now, _Master_?"

And it was his turn to leer.


	19. Escape

The girl was looking at him, worry in her eyes.

"You all right?"

He glanced in her direction, surprised by her concern.

He nodded, a grin forming on his tired face.

And then, Cyclonis stirred. Blood red crystal clenched in her hand. Hate scribbled across her face.

She fired.

He was twisted into the air and slammed into the wall opposite.

Everyone heard his arm crack.

The others lunged for her...

But she fizzed into the air.

A shower of purple sparks.

Leaving nothing but fear and a distant laugh.

OOO

A/N: Whee, I updated!


	20. What to Do

He pulled himself from the ground, arm throbbing, head spinning.

Why was there two of everything?

His vision cleared, and the others started towards him, unsure as to what to do...

He grabbed his sword and walked to the broken door, staring into the darkness. Wondering where she could've gone.

The kid touched him, very lightly, on the shoulder. He swung his head around in surprise, eyeballing the red head suspiciously.

The Sky Knight was actually grinning as he spoke.

"Let's go get that machine."


	21. The Machine

The palace was vast, but he knew his way around it like the back of his hand.

They ran, on and on.

Finally, they stopped. In front of them was a pair of dark, metal doors. He nodded towards them, and the team understood. The machine was inside...

He pushed the door open.

Everyone's eyes widened.

The machine was highly complicated. Knobs and dials peppered the metal structure, but the basic composition was evident: a large, rectangular opening at one end, and a small, round, hole at the other. The hole opened up into a basket...where the product fell.

The room smelled of murder.


	22. Whatcha Got?

Someone was coming.

They hid behind the contraption. He was squeezed in between the girl and the kid. How...fitting. He glanced at both of them. The kid was staring at the door, green eyes sharp with concentration. She was shaking, her eyes darting back and forth, from him to to her commander.

As if afraid he'd do something.

The door creaked open.

"Dark Ace...and you brought friends."

He rolled his eyes.

_She can be so damn cliche. _

And he stood, leer on his face, blade drawn.

"Let's see what you got, _Master..._"


	23. Backed in a Corner

She had a strange way of smiling, right before the kill, right before the attack, and sure enough, she grinned.

"All right, then."

And then she lunged.

He dodged. She landed nimbly, turning around to face him. Smiles gone.

Replaced with sneers.

He fired.

She deflected it.

"Get. The. Machine." He growled towards the kids, so they'd know...

And they turned towards the contraption.

She glanced at them, rolled her eyes, then fired again.

And this time, when he dodged, he forgot...her staff had two ends. As soon as he popped up from a roll, the other crystal sent a ball of energy towards him. And he was caught in a corner.

It hits him in the chest. He stumbles.

"And what have we here?" She draws closer. The children pause, turning towards him.

Cyclonis continues.

"A caged animal. Trapped. So sad."


	24. Too Late

The girl grabs her staff.

"No, no, no..." He hisses at her, not at Cyclonis, but his former Master doesn't notice.

"Sniveling for your life, aren't you, you dirt bag?" And she raises her staff, not to fire, but to stab.

Perhaps she just needed to see some guts fly...

And then the girl comes up from behind and blasts Cyclonis in the back.

"AARGH!"

"NO! GET BACK TO THE MACHINE!" He pulls himself up, but the pain is too great, and he falls back to the ground.

"Too late," the kid mutters.

Cyclonis turns towards the girl, and this time, her fury has a new target.

Oh...this isn't good.


	25. Damn the Morals

Cyclonis fires. The girl is blasted against the wall opposite.

The kid shouts her name.

He sees nothing but the bare, unprotected back of Cyclonis.

Every inch he moves is another spike of pain, but somehow, he manages to grab his sword.

And it's his turn to blast HER.

She stumbles forward, rolling against the machine. Blood's trickling from her forehead. Her back is pressed against the contraption. She pulls herself up, shaking her head in a daze.

He falls back to the ground, brain aching with the effort.

The kid runs over to him.

"Get the machine," he growls.

The kid shakes his head.

"We get you out of here. You're hurt."

"There are more important things to take care of!"

"Nothings more important than a human life."

Damn him and his silly morals...


	26. Can't Save Them All

"Hey. Hey, the roof."

He's had an idea.

"We can take it down. The roof. We make the roof collapse."

The kid looks at him. He's still crumpled on the floor. The girl's up. Cyclonis is still moaning in a heap, at the base of the machine.

The girl pauses. "I dunno..."

"Got any other ideas?" he barks.

"Fine. We do it. But what about...?" She nods towards Cyclonis.

He looks at his master, at the dark pools of violet that make up her eyes, at her slim and delicate frame.

And then he sees the magenta crystal in her pale and sickly hands.

"Not everyone can be saved," he concludes.

"Then let's do it."


	27. Caught

He gets the honors.

He fires.

The roof starts to sag.

Then...Cyclonis pulls herself up.

"NO!" She sees the ceiling. "Dark Ace, what did you DO?"

"I..." He's not sure of the answer. She lunges.

Out of reflex, he fires.

And she's thrown back. Her cape catches against something in the machine. Something clicks. There's a whirring sound, and she's starting to fall back, her cape feeding into the contraption.

_She's being sucked in._

"Wait...WAIT!" He's not sure what's going on...but she's going in.

He reaches out, grabs her pale hand, and the others are running forward.

But it's too late anyways.

She starts to slip.


	28. Run From the Past

"Help me! Help me!" Her eyes have widened in realization. And then there's a faint squelching sound. He turns away, can't bear to look. When he does look again...she's gone.

The machine is clanking, swirling, chinking, and all of a sudden, like change in a vending machine, out pops a dark, almost black stone. The roof sags a little more.

He picks up the crystal.

It sparkles...

There's a moan. One beam falls, and the others are tumbling. He sees the other stone, the magenta one, and he longs to turn for it, but the others are running, shouting his name.

The girl is behind him, shoving him along, and so he runs.

He runs away from his past.

And for the first time in a long time...he sheds a tear.

Why?

Not even he knows the answer.

The palace falls.


	29. Choices

They're running.

He moves faster than he's ever moved before. The beams are collapsing, and dust is rising in huge clouds.

The boy is right in front of him, red hair flashing like a beacon.

The hallway's caving in.

He turns away for a moment, just to look back...and then there was a loud screeching sound, and a wall tumbled down.

He swung his head around. Where was the boy?

Then the girl screams. "NO! NO!"

He turns back. The Sky Knight...crushed underneath the wall.

Where are the others? He doesn't see a soul, save the two children behind him. There's the exit; he sees it, looming in front of him. Here's his choice: stay and die, but the kid...lives. Go and live...and the kid dies. The black crystal is in his hand.

He can run.


	30. Rescueing

His mind is filled with the crashing of beams...and the drumming of his own heart.

The girl's wrenching at the wall, trying to pull it up.

She's crying.

He stares down at the black stone in his hand...and remembers.

"Hey. Hey, you."

She looks up.

"Go. I'll get him."

She looks unsure...

"GO!" He's shouting now. She nods and runs out of the hall, glancing back one more time. He strides over to the boy, then bends, and starts pulling at the metal.

"What are you doing? Go, save yourself!"

"Forget your heroic babble. And besides," he says with a grin. "Nothing is more important than a human life."

The wall shifts. He gives it one more yank, and it's up. He jerks the kid out.

"Now c'mon. We should go."

He holds out his hand.


	31. Repeat, Repeat

The boy can't walk; somethings wrong with his leg.

So he holds him up, and they move as fast as possible, down the hallway, to the open hatch.

Another beam crashes. It's a close call.

"You all right?" The kid looks at him strangely.

"Fine. Whatever. Let's go."

They disappear down the hole, to the waiting ship below, and behind them, the final beam falls to the floor. The walls collapse on themselves, and the palace crumbles.

Strange...

The last time it happened, he had been trying to stop it. And now, he was the cause.

Weird, how history could be so similar, yet so different.


	32. Two Halves of a Whole

Dust rises like ghosts from the skeletal remains of the palace.

He stands on the balcony of the Condor, clenching the dark purple stone in a sweaty hand. The boy is getting his twisted ankle bound up.

The girl had been aghast when the two of them had arrived, alive.

She and the others must have thought of him as a homicidal idiot.

Which was probably true.

A voice.

"Hey. I want to say thanks, I guess."

The girl.

"Hmph."

"I, uh, grabbed something on the way out. Thought you might want her."

_Her? _

He turns, and sees her holding out the magenta crystal. He takes it, hand trembling. He tries to talk, to apologize, to explain, but the girl's already gone. He holds the two stones close.

Two halves of a breaking heart.


	33. Wind

The terra is silent, nothing stirring, save the breeze.

He stands at the peak of a small cliff, staring at the sky before him, glowing blue.

Watches the clouds drift by.

He feels the small weight on his back, the sword, strapped safely to him. He doesn't think he'll be using it much, anymore.

And then he glances at the tiny mounds of earth, sticking up from the ground. Two tiny crystals. Buried alone, yet buried together.

A traitor. Was that all he was? A spinner, a turner, a double crosser. Perhaps he HAD changed. Then again...

"Where will you go?" the girl had asked.

"I'll go where the wind takes me."

He won't join their side, not for the world. But he won't go back either. There's nothing to return to.

Where the wind takes him.

He'll make his own side to choose. His own road to follow.

He nods at the graves, then winks at the sky.

Time to fly again.


End file.
